Category: 1957-58 Topps

I received this eBay purchase in the mail today. Finally, I’ve added a “big card” to my 1957-58 Topps set build.

This is Hall of Fame defenseman Pierre Pilote’s rookie card.

As you can see, the centering is way off.

However, there is no creasing and the corners are good.

Plus, I did not pay much for it. The Beckett high price for a Pilote RC is around $100. I got this for $23 shipped. It feels good to get another card for this set–but it feels really good to get one of the big boys out of the way.

As I mentioned last week, I am now trying to build a set of 1957-58 Topps Hockey. Here are 3 cards that bring me closer to completing the 66-card set:

#18 – Leo Boivin – Boston Bruins – Boivin played 18 seasons in the NHL, and was a member of the inaugural Pittsburgh Penguins team in 1967-68. The next season, he would play on the Minnesota North Stars with this guy…

#27 – Elmer “Moose” Vasko – Standing at 6’2″, Vasko was a large defenseman back in the day. He was a member of the Blackhawks team that won the Stanley Cup in 1961. Interestingly, he was once fined $100 by the North Stars for not playing aggressively enough.

#29 – Ron Murphy – Chicago Blackhawks – Murphy played in the NHL for 18 seasons, and was also a member of the ’61 Cup-winning ‘Hawks team.

But there are only 66 cards in the set, so while some cards are in the $100-$300 range, most of them are not.

The cards you see here don’t look the greatest–some have rounded corners and small creases. They do look a lot better once put in a card page. (Except for the back of that Dean Prentice card–whoa!).

I’ve lowered my standards a bit when it comes to really old cards and condition. Sure, we all want a near-mint card that is 50 years old…but then you have to pay the price. For most of these old cards, I’ll settle for lesser quality if it means picking them up on the cheap.